Category: Family

Fall fun

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I’m trying to plan some fun things for the kids to do to celebrate the wonderful Fall season but it’s rather hard when the weather isn’t cooperating. It’s supposed to be in the mid-80’s this weekend; taking them to a pumpkin farm seems wrong. We might take them bowling instead since I have a coupon for a free game. Of course there’s still shoe rental. Why are those god-awful shoes so expensive when you’re only wearing them for an hour and a billion other people have worn them before you? It’s pretty gross if you think about it too much.

I’m really looking forward to when it gets a little cooler and we can take the kids to this place called Sonny Acres. We drive past it all the time since it’s close to home, but we’ve never stopped. We’re just not up to the apple picking trip this year (or last year, apparently, since we never went). I just can’t justify the cost of all those apples that end up rotting before we can eat them. There’s nothing else for the kids to do there so we drive 45 minutes one way for them to pick apples for 10 minutes and then we browse in the bakery and leave. Hardly seems worth it.

But Sonny Acres looks like it has a lot for the kids to do. The petting zoo sounds cute, and they have a spook barn which isn’t too scary for the boy, and a real haunted house for the girl. Not too sure about the hayride, although I think I’d enjoy it. They have concessions and whatnot too. I’m guessing we’ll drop $50 on our visit but I suppose that’s to be expected. Although, I must be cheap because that seems like a lot for 1-2 hours of fun. I’m just glad we only have two kids. When I see huge families at these places I often wonder how they can afford it. Or how they can stomach spending so much money on one excursion.

It’s kinda like those large families who I see at the movies from time to time. Each kid has a combo meal and the parents have a huge popcorn and pop, sometimes candy too. I marvel at what that one movie must have cost them. And there we are with our small popcorns, sneaking in candy and water bottles to avoid paying the outrageous concession prices. It’s kinda funny when you think about it.

Labor Day

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I hope everyone had an enjoyable Labor Day! I didn’t crawl out of bed until 10:30 am because we didn’t get home from my parents’ last night until 1 am. We had a blast! Played lots of games including Friends Scene It and Guitar Hero with Brother #2. He seems happier since he dropped out of school. I worry about that decision, but it’s nice to see him less stressed and friendlier. He rarely spends the entire time hanging out with us when we visit, so it was nice. Plus I got him addicted to Pictionary, muhaha!

Playing two player mode on Guitar Hero was interesting. Apparently you can battle each other or play cooperatively. Brother #2 would play on Hard mode and I’d play on Easy yet he beat me every time except once. I’m impressed how quickly he can play that thing. Now Joe wants to get a second guitar so we can play two-player at home. We’ve actually got a rolling list of things we’d like to purchase this year if he doesn’t lose his job. He’s got an interview for another position on Friday, so please keep your fingers crossed.

We didn’t leave the house at all today. I wasn’t about to jinx it since I feel better than I have in nearly a month (check the private entry from a few days ago for the details). Maybe the new calcium pills I’ve started taking are having a positive affect. I watched a few movies including Shaun of the Dead (love that one), cleaned Peanut’s cage, and made a yummy dinner. I’m shocked how quickly the time passed since we didn’t do much.

I don’t want to go back to work!

Sending out an S.O.S.

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We did an awful lot of running around today. First we hit Walmart so Joe could look at paintball gear since he’s going paintballing with some friends in a few weeks. I also checked out the Guitar Hero guitar but wasn’t satisfied with the selection, so we went to Circuit City to check their prices. They only had the bundle with the game, so we left. We spotted a Panera, and even though it was only a little after 10 am, we had soup and a sandwich.

After our early lunch we went to Petsmart. Standing in line to check out was a guy with his yellow lab, Jack. He got a kick out of demonstrating for us how well-behaved Jack is. He had him sit, lie down, stay, shake, etc. and proudly told us how he taught the dog everything himself. I was impressed and I wish more dog owners took pride in training their dogs like that because they are more enjoyable to be around (unlike our next door neighbor’s dog).

We ended up buying a wireless guitar at Fry’s Electronics since they were priced the same everywhere. I used my AMEX gift cheque on it so our contribution to the price was minimal. It was funny later when my mom was on the phone and I listened as she told my brother we got it for $15. He was so upset until my mom admitted to him that was the price after the AMEX. Haha!

It was well worth every cent because once we got home we rocked out to I Ran by Flock of Seagulls, Message In A Bottle by The Police, and Heat of the Moment by Asia.

“You framed an Asia poster? How hard did the people at the frame store laugh when you brought this in?”

The game is fun, but hard! Even in practice easy mode I was having trouble. For some reason I did the best to Message In A Bottle, and I’ve had that song stuck in my head all day now. I can’t wait to bring the guitar to my parents to play against my brother who will no doubt kick my ass.

Be a hero

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Last night we had my family over for The Girl’s 13th birthday party. My mom wasn’t feeling well so she stayed home, but my dad and both my brothers showed up. I was shocked that Brother #2 came because he has never been to our place in the three years we’ve lived here and he’s been invited many times. I made spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread for dinner and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Brother #1 liked it so much he later told me I have to make it again the next time he visits.

Brother #2 brought Guitar Hero for the PS2 and everyone took turns trying it out. I really wasn’t planning on playing, but it looked fun so I gave it a try. I didn’t do great, and couldn’t get through half of Message In A Bottle by The Police, but I did improve with each try. It’s pretty addictive, in fact! All we need is the guitar since my brother let us copy the game, so we’re going to look at Walmart tomorrow. I might just end up spending my American Express gift cheque from work on it. I could just imagine what my boss would think of that. Hmm, perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised that the brain on LikeBetter guessed I was a male, huh?

I’m sleepy, The Cure, and Sears finale

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Ok, I am wiped out! I’m not used to working all day and then going out until 10 pm. My parents came over and we went to Old Country Buffet for dinner because everyone but me loves that place. I don’t hate it, I just don’t go out of my way for buffets because the food typically isn’t good. This OCB wasn’t bad, though. And the kids love it, so what can you do?

After dinner we went to this miniature golf place that we drive past all the time and have been meaning to check out. It’s fairly new and quite nice. I had a coupon but they had some family special and we ended up saving a bundle. Or I should say my mom did since she insisted on paying for everything. The kids are finally in bed and I’m probably not too far behind them. I have to make sure I’m up in time to buy Cure tickets tomorrow.

Speaking of, the presale today wasn’t much better than yesterday’s. At least it allowed two tickets at a time, but all the seats were lower level in the back. Although now that it’s too late someone informed me that those have a good line of sight. Oh well, hopefully I’ll get lucky and score decent tickets tomorrow. If not, at least I will be able to hear them no matter where we’re sitting. I’ll get tickets one way or another; it’s not like they are going to sell out. I may love them, but I’m realistic about their popularity. Although something has to be said for the fact that they are still successfully touring over 25 years after they formed but Kelly Clarkson had to cancel her tour due to poor ticket sales.

I finally picked up my Sears packages on Monday and wouldn’t you know it, nothing fit but the shoes. Wednesday I took back two shirts, two bras and the duplicate pair of shoes for a refund. Since they credited me for the more expensive shipping, I’m not going to ask that they credit the other one as I would have paid for one order’s shipping anyway. They never credited me the price difference for the shirt, but since I took both back, it’s a moot point now. I doubt I will ever order online again from them because it was such a hassle. Plus it’s too hard buying clothes without being able to try them on first. Even the bra which was my size and a brand I already own was too small. Bleh.